NEISA Open Team Race Championship/Fowle Trophy

Racing began just before 10:30am in a east/northeast breeze that built throughout the day. Most of the racing was in 10-15 knots with some bigger puffs. Temperatures cooled throughout the afternoon and racing took place right off the docks of the Edgewood Yacht Club, making for efficient racing and rotating. By 3:30pm an entire 66 race round robin was completed of all 12 teams. We took a break for approximately one hour for few hearings by the umpires with Brown being penalized for a black flag and broken tiller against Harvard. Dartmouth was granted a resail for a broken hiking strap against Harvard at the end of the day, resulting in a loss. Round two of the top 8 teams began at 4:45pm with two flights sailed by 5:30pm and then the resail between Dartmouth and Harvard. Round one was sailed in both 420s and FJs and round two of the top 8 teams was sailed in 420s. 73 races were sailed on day one including the resail.

Day two of the NEISA Open Team Race Championship for the Fowle Trophy started at 10:15am after a short delay due to heavy fog. The top 8 remaining teams started racing in a nice Southerly that looked like it was going to build but instead shifted right as the morning went on to the West/Southwest and became very unstable, shifty, and variable in velocity ranging mainly between 5 and 10 knots. It was warmer than yesterday with temps in the 50's but some rain came in around 1pm for much of the remainder of the day. We finished the Top 8 round two by 1:15pm, took a short break til 1:45pm, and then broke into a Top 6 Gold in 420s. After getting through only 2 races in the Top 6 round, some thunder was heard and the wind died, sending everyone in for a 30 minute postponement ashore. We went back out at 2:45pm when the weather cleared but the conditions still remained light. By 3:30pm it was evident that the Top 6 round was not going to be completed by the 4:30pm cutoff so we finished up the remaining races to make a Top 4 round count. Racing was completed by 4:30pm with some intense light air racing between the top 4 teams of Harvard, Brown, Dartmouth, and Roger Williams. These races were sailed in 4-6 knots.

100 races were sailed over the two days, with a full robin of all 12 teams, a Top 8 Gold round, and a Top 4 Gold round. The depth of the regatta and the racing was awesome, all close to shore.

A huge thanks to Dartmouth, Harvard, Roger Williams, the Edgewood Yacht Club, and the Moses Brown School for providing powerboats for umpires and racing. Thank you to NEISA Commissioner and Coat Guard Coach David Thompson for being the NEISA Representative. A huge thank you to our great group of umpires, led by Chief Umpire John Pratt, and Brad Dellenbaugh, Abi Cook, Mike Campbell, Will Bailey, Clinton Hayes, and John Mastrandrea. Thanks to all of Brown sailors for helping out on the water: Charles Gish 28, Tyler Lamm '28, Elena Sun '29, and William Baker '29.

Congratulations to #1 ranked Harvard on winning the 2026 NEISA Open Team Race Championship for the Fowle Trophy with a 20-1 record and earning automatic qualification to the College Sailing Open Team Race National Championship at Tulane University and the Southern Yacht Club in New Orleans, LA from April 23-25. The Brown Bears and Dartmouth Big Green rounded out the podium.